Every home has numerous home devices, such as electrical systems (e.g., light switches, televisions, radios, etc.), mechanical systems (e.g., windows, doors, door locks, etc.), communication systems (e.g., a security system, a local area network (LAN), etc.), and entertainment systems (e.g., televisions, home theater systems, etc.). A smart home (or connected home) brings all of these home devices together. By wiring controls of each home device to one point, commonly known as a control system overlay, the home devices can be integrated and made interoperable. The control system overlay provides a single, unified interface for the control of individual home devices. For example, a same device used to control a home's interior lighting can also be used to adjust heat in a living room, turn off a stereo, turn on a television, etc.
Such smart home automation technologies are commercially available. However, interoperability problems of different hardware and software components (e.g., of home devices), limited service scalability, complexity of configuration, and excessive cost have prevented mass adoption of smart home automation technologies.